The Reckoning Or at least, MY version
by congealwithme
Summary: What I think/hope will happen in the third book of the darkest powers series.:
1. Chapter 1: Chloe

**The Reckoning**

_(or at least my version of it :P)_

**DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own any of the Darkest Powers books. A very nice lady named Kelley Armstrong does. You can find her on twitter by searching Kelley Armstrong. PS. If you want to read the first three chapters of the REAL book, The Reckoning, you can go to , click on 'Friends', then 'Locker', then put in the password (necromancer), click The Darkest Powers Sneak Peak page, and you'll get to read the first three chapters

**Chapter One**

_Chloe_

I woke up with a start.

"Chloe?"

Where the heck was I? I groaned as I propped myself up on an elbow, rubbing a sticky eye with my closed fist. Suddenly, I remembered. I was at the safe house.

"Chloe. It's 9 in the morning. Andrew wants us in the kitchen for breakfast. We got a lot of work to do if we want to pull off a jailbreak in the near future."

"Mmm." I focused in on who was talking to me, and was startled to find Simon's face so close to mine. I pulled back, hoping to god I didn't have morning breath.

"I'll be down in a minute." I said, taking care to keep the blankets pulled up around my chin. I was only wearing my undies, as I was trying to keep the little clothes I had as clean as possible before I was forced to get new ones, as laundry wasn't really an option these days.

I think Simon may have seen the pink strap of my bra though, because suddenly his face turned pink and he backed out of the room, stumbling over words that I think were trying to convey a 'take your time' sentiment. I smiled inwardly. Boys.

I pulled on my t-shirt and jeans, and winced as I shrugged the hideous gray sweatshirt Derek got for me over my head. My arm still hurt where the bullet had grazed it, which was no surprise. It had only been a few hours, though it felt like a lifetime ago.

I scurried down the stairs and saw Tori, looking impeccable as usual sitting next to Simon, Derek was opposite and he motioned to the chair next to him when he saw me appear.

"Well look who decided to make an appearance." Tori sneered. I shot her a glance, but was surprised to see her wink at me. Huh, maybe the whole bitch persona was just a facade. I gave her a tiny smile back.

"Good morning kids" Andrew called as he entered from the kitchen. His hands held four plates of pancakes, and was that sausage I saw? It was. I could barely help myself from salivating.

As soon as the plates hit the table we dived in, and I vaguely heard Andrew laugh at us, however I was too busy savoring, well, I guess inhaling might be a better word, my pancakes. They were dripping in syrup, just the way I liked them.

When I was finished I looked up. Derek was watching me with that amused look he gets when he thinks I'm being silly. His plate was completely clean, it almost looked like there had never been food on it to begin with.

"Hungry?" he asked, a smile playing on the corners of his lips.

"About as hungry as you I'm expecting" I said, motioning towards his shiny plate. His lips twitched, which I decided to take as a smile, and not a held-back retort.

"Okay, well, now that we're all fed, let's get to work." Andrew clapped his hands, and walked out of the room. We looked at each other.

"Helloooo.. Lets like, follow him?" Tori said, with rolled eyes. I got up pushing my chair back in after myself and pushed open the door Andrew had disappeared through. When I saw the room I had entered I stopped short.

"Ow." I stumbled. Stopping short when Derek is walking behind you is a bad idea, as I kept trying to remember. I rubbed my arm, and gazed around the room. It was huge and every square inch of the walls were either covered with computer monitors, television monitors, or giant bookshelves with hundreds, no thousands, of books. I stepped closer to one of the bookshelves and a faded blue volume caught my eye., the same book had given me to read, Nekromantia.

"There are only three copies of this book, right?" I asked Andrew, ignoring the look of surprise Derek shot me.

"Um...yeah. Although the third one has been missing for quite some time now... Anyway, guys. This is what I need you to do."

I folded myself into an oversized chair and felt heat rise into my face when Simon propped himself on the arm.

"It's pretty straightforward. We, myself and the rest of the group, have a layout of the building. What we don't know is the security system they have, or the schedules of the people that work there."

"I can help you with the security issue. Basically they have video surveillance, as well as good old fashioned bulk locks. I didn't see anything too high-tech, and I'm pretty sure would have made sure to mention it, the way he was trying to scare me." I offered.

"Great, great." Andrew mumbled, making notes in his book.

"And I took this from my mom. I looked through it last night, it has the schedules you want, and some passwords to some stuff... I don't really know, or care, about." Tori pulled out a leather planner type thing and handed it to Andrew.

"This is perfect Thank you Tori, Chloe." He pocketed the planner, and then sat down opposite me.

"Now, I know you want to save Rae. I understand, but I really can't risk you actually going back to the Edison Group right yet." Andrew looked apologetic, and he spread his hands. "Really guys, I think you should take this opportunity to chill out. Take some quality'me time' if you know what I mean. And your welcome to look through any of the books we have here, though computers are off limits."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Derek put a hand on my shoulder. "Later." he muttered, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Sound good?" Andrew looked hopeful.

"Yeah, sure." Simon smiled encouragingly.

"Great, you guys are behaving very responsibly. I'm proud of you." he smiled and stood up. "I guess I'll leave you four alone. You've got free reign." With a wave he headed out the door, and it was quiet until Tori, as usual, broke the silence.

"Um, so I don't know about you, but I am NOT just going to sit here while these losers have all the fun"

Derek looked bored. "Of course we're not. I didn't plan on even spending the night. I heard Andrew saying that he and the rest of them were going to another safe house tonight for an hour. I figured we'd leave then." He yawned, and I noticed his eyes looked glittery, his skin pale. I gave him a look.

"Derek, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked, "Alone?"

"Oh, hey, Tori, want to go explore? From the window of my bedroom it looked like this place has a killer backyard." Simon said, and Tori got up and followed, rolling her eyes a little at his enthusiasm.

I turned in my seat and faced Derek.

"You look-"

"I know." he cut me off. "It'll probably be tomorrow, maybe late tonight."

"Well, then are you sure it's a good idea to leave tonight? I mean, we have time, and I don't think it's such a great plan to be leaving while your in the middle of being a wolf. I mean, you might go all the way this time." I winced, expecting the usual tirade, but all I got was a sigh.

"I know. But I don't know when we'll get another chance to leave." He ran a broad hand through his hair, which had grown substantially and was now hanging in this eyes, and just barely touched his shoulders. "But look, if I do change when we're leaving... Just go. Take Simon and Tori and go. Don't wait for me. I can track you."

"No." I said before I could even think. Derek raised his eyebrows.

"What?" he growled.

"No. I'm not going to leave you alone the first time you change all the way. You need someone there, and it might as well be me. If you change while we're leaving, I'll tell Simon and Tori to go on ahead. You can still track them with me there."

"I don't need you." He mumbled and I felt like I had been slapped.

"I know, Derek. You don't need anyone. You're big, brave, fearless Derek. Boy of no emotions, too proud to admit when he wants company, too proud to admit he-" I stopped, and felt a weird sensation in the pit of my stomach.

"Too proud to admit what, Chloe?" he asked, his eyes challenging.

"N-nothing. I-I j-just want you t-to admit-"

"Slow down." he snapped.

I took a deep breath.

"I just want you to admit that though you may not _need _me, you wouldn't mind having me there."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Of course I wouldn't mind, I'd- Look, it's just not practical."

"What's not practical is you thinking you can manage a change all by yourself and then still track us right after." I shot back.

Derek sighed.

"Fine."

I smiled. I won I finally won

"But Chloe-" he put his hand on my arm, "Just, be careful. I've never changed fully. I don't know exactly what will happen. When I get there... run. If I'm ok I'll find you. If I'm not... wait where you are and when I'm ready I'll come."

I nodded, and in a burst of spontaneity, jumped up and threw my arms around him. I felt his body stiffen under my embrace, but then he relaxed, and awkwardly patted me on the back. I looked up and his green eyes stared back at mine, and I felt that strange sensation again. I pulled away, but Derek held on. He lowered his head down towards mine and my vision started to get blurry, when the door banged open.

"Come look what we found " Simon yelled, as Derek and I sprang apart. Simon lookedback and forth from each of us for a second. "Ha, you guys weren't doing anything that would make me jealous right?" He laughed, seeming unsure. I lowered my eyes, feeling guilty, though not sure why.

"Of course not." Derek grumbled, and walked out of the room, probably assuming we would follow him.

Simon looked closely at me, then shrugged. "Chloe, I found the coolest thing." He took my hand, and I was surprised not to feel anything. What the heck? Feelings don't change that fast, do they? I pulled a grin and followed him to the backyard, where we weaved through what seemed like half a mile of woods before we stopped.

"Look." Simon said, pointing to the right.

I did. And what I saw took my breath away.


	2. Chapter 2: Derek

**Author's Note time!** Ok guys, I just want to say thanks for the reviews, I may have may not gotten a little teary, and thats all I'm gonna say about that. :D

Now, we seem to have a problem, for reason's unknown it will not let me write Dr. D a v I d o f f 's name. I don't know why, but he's not mentioned in this chapter so no worries. However, sooner or later he's bound to show up, and I was wondering if any of you could think of a code name that wouldn't be too distracting to the story. If so, just write it in a review, or you can PM me. :D Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** See Chap. One

**Chapter Two**

_Derek_

"You guy's weren't doing anything to make me jealous now, were you?" Simon laughed, but I could see through it. Simon was hurt. It had been just last night he had told me what he thought had been a surprise, but what I had known all along.

"Derek," he had whispered as we laid in our respective beds. There were more than enough rooms to not have to share, but why wouldn't we want to, he was my best friend, my brother, we had nothing to hide.

"Mm." I grunted.

"Do you think... Do you think maybe Chloe likes me?" I was startled, Simon was worried if a girl liked him? Girls _always _liked him. It was his thing. He was handsome, kind, and great at the whole small talk thing. Girls flocked to him like bees to honey.

"Of course. She likes Tori, and she's a bitch." I replied, feigning ignorance. Simon wasn't fooled.

"You know what I mean." I heard him roll over and face me, and I was thankful my back was turned.

"I'm tired Simon. Get to bed." I heard him sigh, then adjust himself. Ten minutes later his soft snores told me he had fallen asleep.

"Of course not" I growled, coming back to the present. I stalked out of the room, and I felt Chloe's eyes on my back. Awesome, now she probably thought I- Oh, whatever.

I went up to the room Simon and I shared and sat at the desk. There were scattered sketches all over it, Simon working on his latest comic I guessed, and I picked it up. I narrowed my eyes when I saw it was a sketch of me and Chloe, facing a group of kids with bushy tails and pointy fangs. The Pack.

My head flashed back to that night, and I suppressed a shudder. God, what the hell had I been thinking? They would have killed both of us if it weren't for a bit of luck. But Chloe, she had been great. I knew she had been scared, but she acted fearless. Maybe that's why I-

I groaned and wiped some sweat off my forehead. It was getting worse, and I had a feeling the Change was going to happen sooner rather than later. Suddenly I buckled, daggers of pain ripping through my body.

Much sooner.

I decided to find Chloe. If it happened now, I'd probably be fine by the time we left, but I knew she'd never forgive me if I didn't find her.

I stuck my nose in the air, trying to catch her scent. It didn't take long, I had been finding myself looking for it even when I knew exactly where she was, it was comforting. The smell of heather, and maybe a tiny bit of mint.

I followed the scent, mixed with my brother's spicy tangerine one through the forest until I spotted them. They were crouched in front of something and Chloe was laughing softly, Simon staring at her with eyes full of... something. I wasn't sure if it was just a sweet familiarity, or possibly something more.

"Chloe" I rasped. My voice was husky and it was getting harder to stay standing.

"Derek!" she laughed, turning around, holding something white. "Look! Simon found a nest of baby bunnies!" she smiled at me until she noticed something was definitely wrong, and her eyes narrowed with concern. She handed the rabbit to Simon silently and walked up to me.

"Come on."

"Where are you guys going?" Simon called, his attention partly distracted by the furry little creatures.

"We'll be back, we're just going to get some food for the little guys" Chloe called over her shoulder. She tightened her grip around my waist, and I almost laughed. It was so feeble, I could easily break her. The thought made me sad. This whole thing, it would never work. I would only end up hurting her.

"Here, I think we're far enough away now. I don't know where Tori is, but I highly doubt she's out here. She doesn't seem like the adventurer type." She smiled and I saw her eyes soften as she watched me shudder on the ground.

"Let's get this off you." She peeled my sweat soaked t-shirt off, and I felt ten times better, though thoroughly embarrassed. She pushed my hair back from my eyes, and I knew she could see the pain in them. I looked away.

"Thank you." I managed to gasp. She laughed.

"No problem. What are friends for anyway?"

Friends...right. Suddenly I felt myself begin to change. I looked at my hands clutching the dark earth and saw millions of coarse brown hairs bursting out of them. But just as I thought I might make it all the way, they shrunk back in and I collapsed, as human as ever.

"Aargh!" I yelled at the sky. Chloe jumped. "Sorry." I mumbled. "I just, I thought-"

"Hey, it's ok." She touched my cheek. "It's gonna happen sooner or later. I guess it just might be later." I looked at her as she rested her head against the tree trunk. Her dull black hair hung lower than it used to, and I realized just how long it had been since she had seen her father. I propped myself up and sat next to her, and I felt her hand grab for mine. I wanted to tell her how I felt, I wanted her to be mine, but how fair was that? She was so small, it would be so easy for me to get out of control and... I pulled my hand away and stood up abruptly.

"Thanks for being here. I think I'm gonna go look around a bit, don't forget to pack, we're going to be leaving shortly."

I walked away as fast I could, but not fast enough not to hear her quiet crying.


	3. Chapter 3: Tori

**Author's Note:**___So sorry I haven't written in a few days, been busy, busy with insurance poop. Anyway, this chapter is written in memory of my rat, Quibble, who died about an hour ago. :/_

_**In Memory of:**_

_Quibble Alana Rowand-Comeau_

_the rat_

**Chapter Three**

_Tori_

As soon as Simon and I got out of the door, I pulled out of his rather weak grasp.

"Look, I don't really care about the backyard. I'm gonna go in my room and read." I said, turning away.

"Ok..." Simon didn't look too concerned and headed out the back door, with a final glance at the door to the library.

"Of course," I mumbled, "Just worried about Chloe- as usual." I rolled my eyes, it wasn't like he had anything to be worried over. No girl in their right mind would choose Wolf Boy over Simon...Although, Chloe wasn't exactly normal...

I shook my head clear of thoughts of the others. This was _my_ time. And I was going to use it to my advantage. By looking through Wolf Boy's journal.

I had seen it peeking out of the corner of his backpack sometimes, and late at night, while I tossed and turned on the hard ground I could hear his pen scratching away at the lined paper.

I crept upstairs, fearful that Derek's supersensitive hearing would detect me going near his room. Fortunately, he didn't appear. And I slipped into their room undetected. I spotted the backpack in the corner, and unzipped it carefully, slowly. It was right in front. A worn, black and white speckled composition notebook, with Derek Souza scribbled on the front in a very messy, hurried scrawl. I sat down on what I assumed was Simon's bed, I had no desire to be that close to wear Derek slept. I opened up to the middle and read,

"_Had the dream again last night. It was dark, I was running through the forest, and she was there. Liam and Ramon were cornering her, and she was screaming, I couldn't tell what she was saying. I tried to get close enough to help, but every time I got near something happened and I was back where I started..._"

I shivered involuntarily. It sounded like a terrible dream, I vaguely remembered the names Liam and Ramon...They were from the Pack that cornered Chloe and Derek. With that in my head, it didn't take a genius to figure out who 'she' was. I flipped forward a few pages and read,

"_I don't trust Tori. I know Chloe does, that should be enough... I just, something doesn't feel right... Chloe and Simon are getting pretty close. I'm glad for him. He really likes her. Her and I... we'd never work. I'm glad she'll have someone like Simon."_

I narrowed my eyes at the page, and to my surprise felt tears welling up. I know I wasn't that likable. I know I was never like Chloe, nice to everyone, sweet, an all-around goody two shoes... But that didn't mean I would rat out my friends! Yeah, they were my friends. So I might treat them like crap, that didn't mean I didn't love them... I needed to prove myself. Whatever it took.I would do-

_Shit_. I heard Derek coming up the stairs. Lucky me, he sounded angry, no hiding those stomping footsteps.

I hastily stuffed the notebook into the backpack, throwing it in the corner with a soft thud. Then I looked around. I needed to find a place to hide_ me_. I spotted a closet, and just as Derek opened the door, I slid the wood-slat door shut, hoping against hope he didn't notice anything wrong. I peered through the openings between the slats and saw him looking through things on the desk. He looked troubled, and let out an audible sigh when he looked at a piece of paper on the desk. Suddenly he groaned, and his whole body buckled.

_What the-_

He wiped his forehead and stuck his nose in the air, sniffing like a friggin' dog. I shut my eyes for a second, and when they opened, he was gone, the door swinging shut in his wake. I waited another minute and then slowly eased the door open, squeezing my eyes shut tight, as if the fact that I couldn't see made me invisible.

I opened them. No one there. Thank God. I eyed the backpack in the corner, but decided against it. There would be other times... hopefully. Right now, I wanted to see what the hell Simon, Chloe, and Derek were up to.

I went out the back door and wove my way through the trees until I heard Simon's familiar voice. He was talking to someone, though they weren't answering.

"Hey little fella. You seem like a big 'un." I raised my eyebrows. He definitely wasn't talking to Derek, or I would have heard a strangled cry by now.

I stepped into the clearing and had to suppress a laugh when I saw Simon talking to a rabbit. Unfortunately a bit escaped, and Simon turned around, flaming red.

"I- I like animals." Simon stuttered. I smiled. It was cute. I sat down and awaited Derek and Chloe's return with him. Was I surprised when we saw Derek emerge from the woods alone, with Chloe nowhere in sight.

"Where's-" Simon started.

"How should I know?" Derek growled back, I'm not her keeper" And with that he stomped out of the clearing down to the house.

Simon and I looked at each other.

"Uh oh."


	4. Chapter 4: Simon

**Author's Note:** _So it's been wayyyy too long since I've written. I've been so busy, but I feel bad so I'm going to write THREE new chapters. And if I get 10 more reviews, the next chapter I write will have a CONSENSUAL kiss , a death, and an elephant in it. Cool?_

**Chapter Four:**

_Simon_

When Derek walked, well, more like stomped out of the forest without Chloe I knew something was wrong. Walking in, they had been all buddy-buddy, though Derek looked a little ill. Now Derek was alone, pissed, and looked exhausted. Something wasn't right. I looked to Tori.

"You stay here with these guys ok? It doesn't look like they have a mom, and I want them to be OK." She nodded, and I headed off into the woods where Derek had come through.

I winded my way through the trees and finally caught sight of her. She was sitting against a tree, her head in her hands, shaking slightly. My eyebrows narrowed, and I proceeded carefully.

"Chloe?" I said softly, still far enough away to give off the pretense of ignorance. I heard her sniff, and she wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her gray hoodie.

"Hey Simon." She was trying to sound cheerful, but it was obvious she was down about something.

"What's up?" I walked over and sat next to her, planting my butt on the soft soil and leaning my head against the rough bark of the maple tree.

"Not much." She made one of those smiles that did nothing but enhance the fact that she was upset. Then she started crying again.

"What's wrong Chloe? What happened? Derek is really upset too."

"Oh yeah?" she replied, scathingly. "Poor Derek. All alone. I wonder why." I raised an eyebrow. That was completely out of character.

"What happened?" I pushed some of her lank, black hair out of her eyes, and stared into them. They were a light, clear shade of blue that I had never really noticed before. Without thinking I pressed my mouth to her's, and I felt her body stiffen as she pulled away.

"I'm- I'm sorry." I was flustered. This was not how our first kiss was supposed to happen. Chloe just sobbed.

"Oh God, oh God. Chloe, I'm sorry." I was frantic. Shit, what did I do? Obviously this was the wrong time, I had blown my chances.

"Oh, S-S-Simon.. I-I'm sorry. I j-j-just don't know w-what to do anymore."

"About what?" I asked.

"W-we're running for o-o-our lives and all I-I'm worried about is if some guy likes me or-or not..."

"Of course I like you Chloe. I like you a lot." I suddenly realized that my hand was still on her shoulder, and I took it off.

"N-no! Not you, S-simon. I-I'm sorry. I m-meant-"

"Oh." I got it. She liked my brother. And apparently Derek had done something callous, as usual, and then, when she thought she had a friend to talk to, I basically went and assaulted her.

"Oh jeez Chloe. I'm sorry. I get it. I guess I'm just not used to, well, you know"

"Yeah, I know. This is probably the first time a girl has even given Derek the time of day." She smiled, and this time it looked real.

"I'm a good listener Chloe. Tell me what happened." And so she did. She told me about him changing, and then his sudden outburst.

"Ugh, that's so Derek." I exclaimed when she finished. I found myself actually rooting for him though. My brother had a girl he liked, who actually liked him back. This was pretty awesome.

"So what are you going to do?" I asked.

"Absolutely nothing." Chloe replied, "Derek... Derek needs to learn that even if he's super smart and super strong, that doesn't mean he can walk all over people." She stood up, brushing off the back of her worn jeans, "I like him a lot. But we have bigger fish to fry."

I was standing up too and she gave me a hug.

"Thanks for being a friend, Simon." she took my hand and we walked back to the clearing, where we relieved Tori of rabbit-watching duties and headed back to the house.

Inside Derek was waiting for us.

"You guys have to pack." he growled. I stole a glance at Chloe, but she was already heading up the stairs.

"Listen, Derek," I started.

"I packed both our stuff already. It's in my bag."he brushed past me and disappeared into the living room, where moments later I heard the monotonous drone of Public Access Television blaring. I rolled my eyes and headed to the kitchen, eager for some food as I was starving.


	5. Chapter 5: Chloe

**Chapter Five**

_Chloe_

After packing up my few possessions I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes, figuring I could stand to catch up on some Z's. However, just as I was drifting out of consciousness I heard a low, maniacal cackle, and felt a clammy hand cover my mouth.

"Nervous, little necromancer?" the voice was cold, and most definitely a woman's. "I know how hard it can be... Being unwanted."

"What are you talking about?" I tried to ask, but although there was no hand, I couldn't open my mouth. I thought it instead. _What are you talking about?_

"You think your father is really looking for you? It's a ploy Chloe. Your father doesn't care about you. He's dead. They killed him."

My mind went blank. What the hell was this ghost talking about? My dad couldn't be... there was no way he was...

"He's dead Chloe. And so is your aunt. You're alllllll alone, and there's no one here to rescue you. You think Derek cares? Simon? Tori? You're dispensible Chloe. Worse than that, you're a burden."

"NO!" I screamed. And suddenly the clammy hand was gone, as was the feeling of a presence as I bolted upright in my bed. Two seconds later I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs and a flustered looking Derek opened the door.

"Chloe?" he asked, as if he hadn't just ran from the living room to my room in under 5 seconds. "What happened?"

"N-nothing. Nothing's wrong." I stuttered.

"Chloe, don't be stubborn. I know something happened."

"Nothing's wrong. Not that it matters."

"What's that supposed to mean? What did the ghost say?"

"How do you even know it was a ghost Derek?"

"Of course it was a ghost. Not much else freaks you out that much." He stepped closer and touched my face. "Chloe, I'm-"

"Leave it Derek. I'm going." I grabbed my bag and tried to get past him to the door.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he growled. "You're not going anywhere."

"You can't keep me here! I'm just a burden. You guys find your dad, I'm going to help Rae."

"Chloe... Chloe." He swept me up in a giant hug that was completely un-Derek-like and I melted. Why was he so darn bipolar? One second a complete creep, the next..."Chloe, you're not a burden. Believe me. Without you, I'd be... lost." He smiled at me and rolled his eyes. "And don't expect me to be all mushy all the time. But you're not leaving. At least not without me. Us."

I smiled. Why couldn't I stay mad at this boy for more than five minutes?

"Fine. When do we go?"

"They're leaving in about an hour. That gives you just enough time to tell me what happened." I recounted what happened and he looked surprised.

"You could actually feel the hand? And you couldn't talk?"

"Yeah, why, is that unusual?"

"I'm not sure," he replied honestly. "I'll look into it. But hey-" he looked down at the bulky black watch he always wore on his wrist, "It's time we headed out. You ready?"

I took a deep breath, he hadn't mentioned what the ghost had said about my dad and Aunt Lauren, and I decided to let it go.

"Ready as ever." And with that we headed out into the hall with a last look back at the warm comfort of a real bed.

"Simon! Tori!" I hollered. Simon popped his head out of the kitchen, and a second later Tori's popped out as well.

"Andrew's gone with the rest of them." Simon said, his mouth full of what looked like cranberry muffin.

"It's time to go." Derek said, and the growl was back in his voice. His hand left the small of my back and he hitched his backpack over a shoulder, that now had a large black trash bag attached to one of the straps.

"Let's hit the road!" Simon said, sounding almost excited.

"Again..." Tori muttered.

We went out the back door, heading towards the woods and then veering suddenly to the right where a well worn dirt road showed up about half a mile down.

"This should take us to the next town." Derek grumbled.

We hiked for what seemed like hours, and sure enough it seemed that I blinked and the sun had disappeared.

"It's getting late." I said. "Maybe we should bunk down for the night?"

Derek shook himself out of what seemed to be a daydream and nodded. We walked of f the road a few minutes until we came to a small clearing in the middle of the dense woods. It was almost to small to even be considered a clearing really, but there was enough room for the four of us to lay semi-comfortably, and Derek produced four musty maroon colored sleeping bags from the giant bag that he had been carrying this whole way. I sighed in relief. A warm place to sleep. Oh, the little things. I crawled into the bag, laying my head on my folded arms, feeling the warmth of Derek's body on my right and Tori's on my left. We were squashed together and in a flash a sudden word came to me. Family.

I thought back to what the ghost had said to me for about the hundredth time that night. There was only one way to know for sure if what she had said was true. I had to try and summon them. But not tonight, tonight I would sleep.

I closed my eyes, and with the soft sounds of my friends breathing in my ears, drifted into sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Derek

**Author's Note:** OK guys, I know I've been a complete asshat and haven't written in way too long, and I'm sorry. However, on the up side A) I'm writing now, aren't I? And B) I got ten more reviews! That means you get your kiss, death, and an elephant, ALL IN ONE CHAPTER! Life is grand, aye? :P On a more serious note, my roommate's rat died, so I dedicate this chapter to Spades the rat. :)

**Chapter Five**

_Derek_

I slept all of two hours until something woke me up. There was a rustling over to my right,

and it didn't smell like any old rabbit. My nose twitch as I fought for a better scent, and then I recognized it.

"Oh God." I scrambled out of my sleeping bag, waking Simon, Tori, and Chloe.

"Run." I whispered to each of them as they opened their eyes. Tori was the first to actually cooperate, which didn't surprise me, and after a shared glance Simon bolted after her. Chloe however, was not moving.

"Chloe. Run. Now." I said through gritted teeth and as quietly as possible.

"Why?" she whispered back. "What's wrong?"

"We have exactly no time, and Liam, Ramon, they're he-"

"If it isn't Wolf Boy and Wonder Girl." I didn't so much hear the cold voice as felt it crawl up my spine, along with fear.

"We're not causing any harm." I said, subconsciously stepping in front of Chloe. As if that would help. "Just, just leave us alone. We'll walk away, and you never have to see us again."

"Now why would we do that?" It was Ramon this time, and in a flash he reached out a grabbed Chloe, who had foolishly, bravely, stepped out from behind me.

I can't explain what happened to me when he did that. Dad always told me that since wolves mate for life, I was probably not going to do the whole dating thing until I found "the one" but that when I found her, I'd know. I think it was now that I knew, Chloe was my mate, because when Ramon's bony hand grapped Chloe's head, forcing her upward, when he looked at her like he'd love nothing more than to eat her up like a Twinkie, well, something in me snapped. Basically, I went beserk.

Flinging myself at Ramon, I felt my muscles start to contract. What was happening? I was... changing. And I did. It wasn't the full moon, but I morphed, I felt my limbs grow long and lean, hair sprout out of every pore, my teeth lengthen and sharpen. It didn't hurt at all. More like, when you get a chill from a sudden draft. Ramon and Liam obviously hadn't counted on me being a home-grown mutant with crazy, but admittedly useful side-effects. They couldn't change, it wasn't the full moon, so they made a wise decision. They dropped Chloe and RAN.

As soon as they were out of sight, and I had chased them half a mile from where we were (at least) I ran back to Chloe, halfway there suddenly turning back into a human. I seriously was freaked out, but I also realized the usefulness of being able to change when it wasn't the full moon. I would need to learn what made me morph, if I could morph at will... I shook myself. My head was racing a mile a minute, but first I needed to get to Chloe and then track Simon and Tori. When I came up behind her I saw she was sitting cross legged on the ground holding my... clothes. Uh oh.

"I'm not gonna peek. I promise. Here are your clothes." She held them above her head, keeping her face fully turned away from my nudity. I flushed a deep red, and took them from her, stumbling my way into my pants and sweatshirt.

"Are you OK?" I asked her. Ignoring awkward situations is what I do best, and she seemed relieved I didn't bring up the fact that she very nearly saw Little Derek.

"I'm fine." she smiled, turning her head to study my face for a second and then raised herself up on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around my neck, and whispered something in my ear. I'm not exactly sure what she whispered, and I'll probably never know, because in that moment I made a decision. It was a simple, so simple, but effective one.

Kiss her.

And I did. She pulled her head back from my ear, maybe expecting a response or a laugh. Instead I pressed my lips against her's, and it felt like, like we melted into each other. Her hand gripped my hair in a fist and her waist felt so small in my arms. We kissed for a long time, apparently too long, because just as I was preparing myself to break it off I heard Simon's voice.

"Bro?"

Shit.

"It's not what it looks like Simon, there was danger."

"I know D, the danger found Tori. She's..." He broke off.. Chloe rushed over to him.

"Simon, you're bleeding."

That got me out of my haze. I shook off my dreaminess and focused in on Simon. His skin was pale and he had a large gash running down his arm.

"Simon, come here." I rummaged through my backpack and took out some gauze I had nicked from the safe house. While I wrapped his arm he explained what happened.

"We were running when suddenly these two guys ran up to us. They looked really flustered, like they had been running from something," I groaned. I had chased Liam and Ramon right to Simon and Tori,"I assume now that they were running from you, but I thought maybe they were running from what we were running from, though apparently we were running from them. I don't know quite what happened. I just know that one of them snagged Tori, and when I tried to help her I got scratched, and then pushed down. I think I hit my head on a rock coz I blacked out. When I woke up there was a lot of blood everywhere, and no Tori."

"Holy shit." I muttered. Chloe looked horrified, and by the time I finished Simon's arm she was actively crying.

"I know she wasn't always the nicest... I just, I never thought ANY of us would ever really get hurt, ya know? I'm... I..."

Simon took something out of this pocket.

"I found this necklace, I cleaned it off, it used to be Tori's I'm sure, though I never saw her wearing it." He handed it to Chloe and I took a closer look. It was a shell with an elephant profile on it.

Chloe wrapped it around her neck and Simon clasped it for her, as she held up her hair.

"We have to find Dad." I said, "It's the only way this whole thing will stop."

"But-"

"We'll get Rae too." I said, cutting Chloe off. "We'll get her first, having a pyro fire demon could be really useful. But if it doesn't pan through, Dad is our top priority."

Chloe nodded her head, looking drawn and tired. I realized we hadn't slept much yet.

I motioned to the four sleeping bags.

"Let's rest." and with that we each silently prepared to enter a sleep that would surely be plagued with nightmares.


	7. Chapter 7: Tori

**Author's Note:** OK, so I know the last chapter had something horribly wrong with it (aka my assumption that werewolves couldn't change at will), however I've made the executive decision to just keep writing as if werewolves CAN'T change at will in these books. I know that's not how Kelly Armstrong did it, but I would have to write the last chapter over and that would be totally lame. So, buckle up and get ready for... Tori's chapter!

**Chapter Seven:**

_Tori_

My first thought upon coming into consciousness was, _Am I alive?_ My entire side felt like it was on fire, and rightly so, a shitton of it had been removed by that crazy guy's claws. My second thought was way more clear, _Oh shit_. I hate to admit it, but I panicked. See, when I had bolted after Derek told me to, Simon was not far behind. He caught up eventually, and we shared a quick glance before hightailing it out of there... and right into two assholes who looked severely pissed off. It seemed to happen in a flash, but I felt a sharp stinging at my neck (probably my necklace being ripped off) and an unbearable pain in my side. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Simon hitting the ground, and now it seemed that I was in some sort of... cavern. I could hear a steady trickling of water, which indicated a stream somewhere... and was quite frankly making me have to pee. I finally decided to open my eyes, and what I saw.... wasn't much.

It was pitch black inside the... well, wherever I was, and the ground under my butt felt obnoxiously hard. I attempted to hoist myself up, and to my chagrin realized I was in a box, and a small one at that. I could put my arms out about 6 inches in all directions, before I got stopped by what I thought was metal. I couldn't see to tell. I concentrated on the trickle, and when I did I realized it was above me. I could hear the water in a steady stream somewhere above my head, but also a strange whirring sound... that seemed to be at the end, near my feet.

Concentrating on figuring out exactly where I was completely distracted me from my horrifying predicament, so I decided to do some exploring. By scooching myself forward with my back and butt, I managed to touch the wall at the end with my feet, and I realized right away that right in the middle of the insides of my feet there was some sort of hole with... vents? Moving my foot around I also detected a slight rumbling, and the realization came to me. _It was a fan._ And if there was a fan...

I didn't want to think about it.

I tried to blank my mind. Go to "my special place". The place I went when my mom would criticize my every move. Where I went when she sent me to dumb Lyle House with their spazzy kids and maniacal staff. I tried to close my mind to my current, and slightly dire, fate and go to my treehouse in the sky, where I had gone so many times before, but I couldn't. And no matter how hard I tried I couldn't shake those three awful, terrible words going through my head in neon flashing light.

_I._

_Was._

_Trapped._

And when I finally accepted that, the fact that I was probably being left here for some later purpose, and just may die, the words changed. Because if I was going to survive this, if there was any way for me to live, then I was going to find it and that meant believing, so I thought only one word.

_Chloe._


End file.
